Near Mercer in Iron County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Roddis Line – Early Logging

Iron County Heritage Area

By Paul Fehrenbach, August 14, 2012

1. Roddis Line – Early Logging Marker

Inscription. America saw the vast forests of the Great lakes as an endless supply of the timber needed to settle the west. Farmers, factories and mills needed wood for fuel and building materials.

Men came to the northern forests to make their fortunes supplying wood to the nation. For the next hundred years, the logging industry ruled the Upper Midwest.

By the beginning of the 20th century, towns, logging camps, farms, log landings, mills, and railroad tracks stood in place of the forest. Some of the buildings were reused later by settlers and some were removed to other locations. Most remain as archaeological sites.

In the beginning, pine was king. The lore of the lumberjack and river drive began during this time. Daring tales of life in the woods made good stories for the folks back home.

In truth, woods jobs were tedious and dangerous. Loggers worked in below zero temperatures from dawn to dusk, with only Sundays and Christmas Day off.

River drivers worked long hours and sometimes spent the night on the logs. Often they worked waist deep in icy water to gather strays. Pulling the last log to release a log jam cost many a driver his life.

, in Iron County. Marker is on County Route FF half a mile north of Turtle Flambeau Dam Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Butternut WI 54514, United States of America.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on September 14, 2012, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 276 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 14, 2012, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.